


Connecting to a Happy Ending

by merryofsoul



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, four of them work in a bar so, mentions of alcohol/drinking, side hansol/jihoon, side joshua/seokmin/jeonghan, side seungcheol/jun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 03:11:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19220386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryofsoul/pseuds/merryofsoul
Summary: Soonyoung and Minghao meet, and drink, and flirt — and dance, and laugh, and love.





	Connecting to a Happy Ending

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY HOSHI DAY!!! 🐯 AND HAPPY PRIDE!!! 🌈
> 
> Thank you to tullycat for the beta, and karlarado and helicases for reading as well! This is a gift to all of you and I tried to include each of your requested soonhao moments 😊 This was inspired by one ten second video of Minghao drawing Leonard, and blew up from there. I hope I did them justice and that this is as cute as they deserve!
> 
> Title from "Happy Ending" 💖💙

“Are you ready?”

Soonyoung wipes the bartop in front of him, sighs, and gives Jeonghan his best customer service smile. 

“I’m always ready,” he replies. 

The first weekend after Soonyoung’s fellow university students return is always the busiest. Soonyoung sets up more _somaek_ than he ever thought possible, listens to the same summer hits over and over as people get their requests in, and usually leaves after two in the morning. He always leaves dead on his feet, but the pay is decent, and most of the patrons tip as well as they’re able, so it’s not a bad gig. 

The first hour always goes by slowly, but as soon as the sun sets the bar fills quickly. Jeonghan is occupied making green apple martinis for a trio of customers, so when Soonyoung notices they’re low on napkins and cocktail straws, he heads towards the storage at the other end of the bar. As he goes, he checks drink levels to make sure no one needs to be helped. He stops short when right at the end, near the sink and the storage space, a guy sits — sans drink, but busy on his phone. 

“I’m so sorry,” Soonyoung says. “I didn’t see you there. What can I get you?”

The guy looks up and shakes his hair out of his eyes. 

“It’s alright,” he says. “I haven’t decided what I want yet.”

He has a nice voice, and his words are careful and measured. There’s a lilt that tells Soonyoung that the guy isn’t from around here, though he can’t place the accent. 

“Well, what do you normally drink?”

“Wine,” the guy replies. Soonyoung laughs, and then has to hold up a placating hand when he gets a dirty look in response. 

“I love wine too,” Soonyoung says. “You just don’t want the wine from here. Trust me.”

“You’re not a very good salesman,” the guy replies. 

“Oh?” Soonyoung studies the guy intently, taking in the dangling earrings and the all black clothing accented with some sort of silver thread. Whatever he’s wearing over the top of his other clothes is thin and looks long and flowy, and Soonyoung desperately wants to see if it’s a cape of some sort. 

“How do you feel about soju?”

“I drink it,” the guy says with a shrug. He puts his phone down and laces his fingers in front of him. “What else?”

Soonyoung mentally runs through the list of their most popular drinks. 

“Do you like rum?” The guy nods so Soonyoung reaches for the bottle and keeps going. “Citrusy stuff? Fruits?” The guy keeps nodding and Soonyoung cracks a smile. “Is there anything you don’t like? Or anything you’re allergic to?”

“I don’t like it too cold,” the guy says. Soonyoung nods and puts in half the amount of ice he normally dumps into the shaker. The guy watches as he pours in the different ingredients, and Soonyoung has his past performances and job experience to thank for not dropping anything. He strains the drink into a waiting glass and finishes it off with a straw before presenting it. 

“Tell me what you think,” Soonyoung requests as the guy picks up the drink and takes a tentative sip. His face is neutral for a moment, but then the taste hits home and his eyebrows jump.

“Oh. I like it.”

“You sound surprised,” Soonyoung says, already halfway through dismantling and cleaning his mixing tools. He’s already spent way too long at this end of the bar. He needs to restock and see if Jeonghan needs help. “Let me know if you need another, or if you want to try something else.”

The guy nods and takes another sip, watching Soonyoung grab what he needs and head back the other end. Soonyoung feels like the guy continues to watch him and tries to shake the feeling. Just because Soonyoung thinks the customer is cute doesn’t mean the customer feels the same way. 

He makes some more drinks and sets up yet another line of _somaek_ for a loud group, and by the time Soonyoung gets back to the guy at the end of the bar, his drink is empty. He’s not alone anymore, which doesn’t surprise Soonyoung in the slightest. The new guy is tall and beautiful, with a jawline that frightens Soonyoung. He’s sweating, as if he’s spent most of his night on the dance floor. Soonyoung pours him a glass of ice water and puts it in front of him, and realizes who it is after getting a better look. 

“Oh!” Soonyoung grins. “Hey, Jun!”

“Soonyoung,” Junhui says with a grin. He picks up the water and gulps it gratefully. “Thank you.”

“Can I get you something?” Soonyoung asks, and then nods at the guy, who is looking between the two of them with interest. “And another for you?”

“Just the water is good,” Junhui answers. “Minghao, what’re you drinking?”

 _Minghao._ Soonyoung smiles. It’s a nice name. 

“I’m not sure what it’s called,” Minghao says, looking to Soonyoung for an answer. 

“A June Bug,” Soonyoung says. Junhui’s face lights up and Minghao rolls his eyes. 

“I want something else,” Minghao says in a deadpan voice. 

“You sure?” Soonyoung asks, waggling his eyebrows. Junhui snorts, and it makes Minghao scowl, which is _cute._

“No. Give me another stupid June Bug.”

Soonyoung gets to work making the drink, and listens idly as Junhui and Minghao talk. They’ve switched to Mandarin, which explains Minghao’s accent. Soonyoung doesn't understand any of it, but he hears the very Korean name ‘Seungcheol’ thrown around a lot. Minghao finally scoffs and waves Junhui away. 

_“Qù ba.”_

“See ya, Soonyoung,” Junhui says, grinning and slipping back through the crowd. Minghao watches him go, shaking his head, and turns back when Soonyoung places down his new drink.

“Thanks,” Minghao says, immediately taking a sip.

“Did you just get ditched?” 

Minghao shrugs. “I knew it was going to happen.”

“Soonyoung-ah,” Jeonghan calls down the bar, eyes darting between Soonyoung and Minghao before his face shifts into a dangerous smirk. “If you’re not too busy, I could use your help.”

“Coming, hyung,” Soonyoung says, shooting Minghao an embarrassed smile as he goes to do his actual job. Minghao raises an eyebrow at him and gestures for him to go.

By the time Soonyoung returns, Minghao is gone. There’s a cocktail napkin tucked underneath the empty glass, and folded into it is way too much money for the two drinks that Minghao consumed. Soonyoung goes to pitch the napkin but stops when he sees the tiny, smiling Leonard drawn in the corner. He flips it over, hoping for a phone number too, but it’s just the drawing.

He pockets it anyway.

*

“I don’t want to go.”

“Hyung. You have to.”

Soonyoung groans into one of couch pillows. “You’re younger than me. Why are you more responsible?” 

“Think of the money, hyung,” Hansol says, busy on his laptop at the other end of the couch. He has it balanced on Soonyoung’s shins, but despite his words, doesn’t move to push Soonyoung upward. “University isn’t free.”

That has Soonyoung rolling to his feet in an instant. “Gen-eds are horrible and make no sense,” he says as he grabs his bag and walks toward the door. 

“It makes your education more well-rounded!” Hansol calls after him. 

“Stop being right!” Soonyoung calls as he opens the front door. “I love you! See you later!”

“Please bring back snacks!” Chan calls down the hall right as the door closes behind him. Soonyoung wants to be mad that Chan is still lounging in bed because he doesn’t have class until the late morning, and if he was a spiteful person he would definitely _not_ get Chan his snacks. But, Soonyoung loves Chan and would do anything for him, so he’s going to get Chan snacks _and_ drinks. 

Soonyoung doesn’t normally have trouble making friends in his classes, but it’s been a while since he took a class outside of his major, and an introductory sociology course is bound to have some random ass people in it. Soonyoung doesn’t recognize a single person in the room when he comes in, so he takes the first available spot with an open seat on either side. 

Chan sends him a string of desperate texts about the snacks, and Soonyoung finally gives in instead of pretending to hold out. When he finally looks up from the string of hearts from Chan, he startles when he recognizes a face across the circle.

Minghao of the June Bugs sits there, engrossed in his own phone. 

“Alright, welcome!” the professor says as she walks into the room. “Phones away please!”

Minghao looks up and around, sliding his phone into the bag at his feet. Soonyoung watches as he scans the rest of the class, and it’s disappointing when Minghao’s gaze slides over him without any sort of recognition. Soonyoung leans back in his seat — wishing it was cold enough for a hoodie so he’d have something to bury himself in — when Minghao’s gaze swings back and stays on Soonyoung. 

Soonyoung waves in greeting. Minghao waves back before nodding to Soonyoung’s right, which is confusing until Minghao smirks and points. Soonyoung turns and jumps when he realizes his neighbor is hanging him a stack of syllabi. Minghao is writing in his notebook when Soonyoung looks at him again, small smile in place, and Soonyoung looks away again quickly before he’s caught.

The class passes like that — Soonyoung stealing looks at Minghao and his too-fancy-for-university-class outfit as the professor goes through the syllabus and forces them to do a ‘get to know you’ activity. More than once, Minghao catches Soonyoung looking, and after the third time it happens, Soonyoung resolutely keeps his eyes on his notebook. He’s so focused that he misses what the professor says next, so when his classmates start to get up and move around, he looks up in confusion. He realizes they’re partnering up for something, and he glances to Minghao immediately, hoping to work with the only face in the room that he recognizes. His stomach drops in disappointment when he realizes Minghao’s seat is empty. 

“Soonyoung, right?” 

Soonyoung whips around in his seat to see Minghao standing behind him. 

“Yes!” 

Minghao claims the seat next to Soonyoung, left vacant by the previous tenant who had clearly not wanted to be stuck partnered with Soonyoung. That’s fine with him though, because the next thing Minghao asks is, “Do you want to work together?” 

Soonyoung leaves that day with a new contact in his phone: _Xu Minghao 🐸_

*

“You got his number?” Joshua asks, sounding impressed. It’s been a slow shift at the bar, and Soonyoung has had plenty of time to catch Joshua up on Minghao and everything he entails. 

“But it’s for the project,” Soonyoung says. 

“Well, he chose you to partner with _and_ he gave you his number first, so.” Joshua shrugs, as if that’s the end of it. 

“Don’t give me too much hope, hyung,” Soonyoung warns. “This is just a school thing.”

“Uh huh,” Joshua agrees. Soonyoung whips a towel at him, and they get so involved in their fight that Soonyoung doesn’t realize there are people approaching the bar until they’re literally right there.

“Oh!” Soonyoung says as Minghao, Junhui, and a third guy approach the bar. Joshua chooses that moment to drop a few ice cubes down the back of Soonyoung’s shirt, and he jerks at the unpleasant sensation. “Oh my _god.”_

Minghao and Junhui do nothing to hide their laughter as Soonyoung yanks his shirt out of his pants to let the ice fall to the ground. 

“Joshua-hyung, this is Junhui and Minghao,” Soonyoung introduces, polite even through his blush. “And…”

“Seokmin!” The third guy introduces himself cheerfully. “Nice to meet you!”

“Oh hi,” Joshua says, shaking hands as Soonyoung quickly retucks his shirt and fixes his apron. “Seokmin, Junhui, and Ming...hao.”

Soonyoung sees the recognition dawn on Joshua’s face, and Joshua turns guilty and apologetic eyes on him. Soonyoung can’t stay mad at that face, even if Joshua _did_ just embarrass him in front of his crush. 

“I need...from the back…” Joshua stutters out, and then he’s gone, heading for the storeroom. He bumps into a tray of glasses on the way, barely catching one as it clatters to the counter. It doesn’t shatter, thankfully, and Joshua puts it back where it belongs. 

“Surprise,” Joshua mumbles cutely, eliciting a laugh from Seokmin. 

“Ah, sorry,” Seokmin says when Joshua looks at him, startled. “That was just cute — I mean!” Seokmin looks shocked at himself. “Just ignore me!”

Minghao puts his face in his hands as Junhui hides his laughter in Minghao’s shoulder. Soonyoung fumbles with the bottles in front of him noisily. Too much embarrassment is happening for him to handle right now. Jihoon was supposed to work with him tonight, not Joshua, but Jihoon might’ve embarrassed Soonyoung on purpose rather than accidentally. Soonyoung doesn’t know which is worse. 

“I’ll be back,” Joshua says, finally making his exit. Seokmin turns a despairing face to the rest of them. 

“I don’t even know what to say to you,” Minghao says. 

“I’ll just die now,” Seokmin bemoans, draping himself across the bar. 

“Can’t,” Junhui says. “We’re here to celebrate.”

“Oh?” Soonyoung loves celebrations. “What’s happened?”

“Our Seokminnie landed the lead role in the drama program’s musical,” Junhui says proudly. Seokmin’s face turns a cute, shy pink, and he perks up from his embarrassed sprawl. 

_“Xcalibur?”_ Soonyoung asks. “That’s amazing! Congratulations!”

“Thank you,” Seokmin says with a bright grin. 

“My Seungkwannie was also trying out for that,” Soonyoung says, itching to check his phone and see what the news is. 

Seokmin’s face lights up. “He’s playing Lancelot!” 

“Wah!” Soonyoung cries. “I’m so proud!”

“I’m thinking…” Junhui trails off with a dangerous grin. “Shots.”

“Of course you are,” Minghao replies, then smiles himself. “I’m thinking they should be blue.”

“I can do that,” Soonyoung says, already grabbing the necessary things. It’s easy to ignore Minghao sitting right there when he has something to do with his hands and when more people filter into the bar. 

Joshua emerges again eventually, looking unaffected as if he hadn’t embarrassed both of them earlier, and Soonyoung punishes him by making him take the song request of the loud group at the other end of the bar. Soonyoung stays with Minghao and his friends, telling jokes and refilling their shots glasses with different colored concoctions. 

They stay for a little while, and then Seokmin says something about a _noraebang_ — _thankfully_ their bar does not have the set-up for that — so they get ready to go. Minghao tips him too much again, but this time Soonyoung catches him trying to do it. 

“No, it’s too much,” Soonyoung says, handing some of the bills back. “I can’t take it.”

Minghao makes a face and pushes it back. “Give some to your coworker. Or buy some more decor for this place. It’s a gay bar, right? Where are all the Pride flags?”

“People get drunk and steal them,” Soonyoung says. “But sure, next time you come I’ll have some.”

Minghao smiles and Sonyoung almost stupidly asks him to stay until the end of his shift, and maybe they can get ice cream after, but then Junhui is there, hooking an arm around Minghao’s neck and dragging him away. Seokmin takes his place almost immediately, looking nervous when he asks, “Can I give you something?”

Soonyoung sees Minghao eyeing them, and wonders what’s running through his head. Seokmin is cute, and if he wants to give Soonyoung his number he’s not going to say no, especially if Minghao only wants to know him in the context of friends from class and friendly neighborhood bartender. 

Sure enough, Seokmin hands over a folded napkin. Soonyoung should invest in notepads for the bar if this is going to keep happening. 

“For Joshua,” Seokmin says, glancing furtively at the other end of the bar where Joshua is mixing drinks. “Not that you’re not cute! But, ah—”

“I get it,” Soonyoung says with a grin. “I should tell you though, he has a boyfriend.”

“Oh!” Seokmin’s shoulders sag. “Oh, okay.”

“But…” Soonyoung weighs his options. Jeonghan and Joshua are pretty open about their lifestyle, and Soonyoung knows Junhui and doesn’t think he’d be friends with an asshole, so he thinks this is okay. “They’re polyam.”

Seokmin’s face lights up again as he realizes he still has a chance. 

“Bye, Joshua!” Seokmin trills as Junhui and Minghao finally get ahold of him again and drag him toward the door. Joshua looks up in surprise and grins when he sees Seokmin waving at him. He waves back and then ducks his head. Soonyoung joins him at the other end of the bar and pokes his cheek. 

“What’s that?” Joshua asks, eyeing the napkin in Soonyoung’s hand. 

“Oh this?” Soonyoung asks. He unfolds the napkin and studies the number and the little smiley face Seokmin drew. “I don’t know if you deserve this. You did embarrass me in front of Minghao.”

“Soonyoung-ah, I’m _sorry,”_ Joshua says, clasping his hands in front of him. “I didn’t know. I would never do that on purpose.”

“Liar,” Soonyoung says. Joshua shrugs shamelessly. “But you can still have this. It’s for you anyway.”

Joshua takes the napkin gleefully, smiling when he sees what’s inside. 

“Should I text him right now? Or should I wait?”

“Do whatever you want,” Soonyoung says. “Who cares about those rules?”

Joshua takes out his phone immediately, and Soonyoung hooks his chin over Joshua’s shoulder to help him type the text.

*

Soonyoung comes into the kitchen, sees Jihoon drinking coffee at the counter, and says, “Don’t I see enough of you at work?” 

“You love me,” Jihoon replies, voice muffled from where it’s buried in his mug.

Soonyoung drops the facade immediately. “I _do,”_ he croons, and then plasters himself to Jihoon’s side. It’s only when he’s that close and attempting to keep Jihoon from moving away that he notices what Jihoon is wearing. 

“Is that Hansollie’s?” Soonyoung plucks the bright yellow t-shirt, too big and too bright for Jihoon to have picked out for himself, despite his love for big clothes. 

“Yeah,” Jihoon says. “Jealous?”

“Yes,” Soonyoung pouts. “You guys are cute. I want to be cute.”

“You _are_ cute, hyung,” Chan says as he wanders into the kitchen too, and then directs his attention to Mingyu at the stove. “Hyung? Did you make breakfast?”

Soonyoung sighs sadly. “When is someone going to make _me_ breakfast?”

“I made you breakfast,” Mingyu says, holding out a wrapped _gaeran tost-u_ for Soonyoung because he knows Soonyoung has to leave soon for class. “I _always_ make you breakfast,” he says with a pout. 

“Aw, Mingyu-yah,” Soonyoung detaches from Jihoon and reattaches to Mingyu's side, careful not to squish the food. “I love and appreciate you so much.”

“There are two in there,” Mingyu says, wrapping Soonyoung in a hug. “One for Minghao, too.”

“You’re seriously the best,” Soonyoung says. 

Soonyoung gets to class early, claiming his seat and the seat next to him, as usual. After the first class, Minghao had taken to sitting next to him every time, and Soonyoung wants to make sure that continues to happen.

“For you,” Soonyoung says, handing over the wrapped breakfast sandwich when Minghao shows up, also there early. 

“Where did you get this?” Minghao asks, unwrapping it and inspecting it. “It looks...homemade.”

“It is,” Soonyoung says. Minghao’s gaze snaps to him and looks at him assessingly. “I didn’t make it! But my roommate did.”

“I haven’t had homemade food in a while,” Minghao says, frowning at the sandwich. He takes a bite and the corners of his lips turn up as he chews. 

“It’s really good,” Minghao says after he’s swallowed. “Thank you.”

“Where is home for you?” Soonyoung asks, trying not to look at the line of Minghao’s throat. He focuses his attention on his own sandwich instead.

“Anshan. It’s in Northern China,” Minghao answers. 

Soonyoung squints. “What’s the nearest big city?”

“Anshan _is_ a big city,” Minghao says with a laugh. “Three million people live there.”

“My geography skills are not great,” Soonyoung says apologetically. 

Minghao tugs out a piece of paper and sketches quickly, drawing the outline of Asia, the borders of China, and then the Korean peninsula. He puts a star in the northern part of China that shares a border with Korea. 

“That’s Anshan,” Minghao says. “I did two years at a university there and I’m finishing here. I’m living with Jun.”

That explains why Soonyoung never met Minghao before, especially considering he runs in the same circles as Junhui. 

“You and Jun just met?” Soonyoung asks in surprise. “You seem a lot closer than that.”

“That’s Jun’s doing,” Minghao says. “He won’t leave me the fuck alone.”

The words are sort of harsh, but Soonyoung can hear the underlying affection in Minghao’s voice.

“And you don’t cook much?” 

“Sometimes,” Minghao says. “It’s easier to eat out or get something.” 

Soonyoung doesn’t cook much, but the urge to drag Minghao back to his apartment and make him an enormous meal is strong. As Minghao finishes his sandwich and takes out his phone, Soonyoung watches him and thinks about how the only times he sees Minghao are in class, in the library when they’re working on their project, or when he’s working at the bar. 

“Do you want to get ice cream after class?” Soonyoung asks before he can convince himself not to. _Ice cream?_ It’s ten in the morning when they get out of this class. 

“Oh, no thanks,” Minghao says, scrolling through Instagram on his phone. He seems to realize how quickly he just rejected Soonyoung’s offer because his head snaps up, eyes wide. “I don’t really eat ice cream — that’s all.”

“Oh, okay,” Soonyoung says, embarrassment burning in his gut. He looks at the door, desperate for the professor to show up and start class already. 

“But, coffee?” 

Soonyoung looks at Minghao, who has abandoned his phone and is giving Soonyoung all of his attention. 

“Yeah, coffee,” Soonyoung replies. “I’ll buy.”

Minghao makes a face, and Soonyoung points to himself and says, “I’m the hyung.”

“I invited you,” Minghao retorts. 

“Technically, I invited you first,” Soonyoung replies. “It’s settled.”

Minghao doesn’t have a chance to continue the argument because the professor finally does walk in. He settles back into his seat grumpily, but when Soonyoung peeks at him again, there’s a small smile on his face. 

*

“I don’t think the point of this project is to gather data,” Soonyoung says as yet another person speedwalks past him and Minghao, avoiding eye contact at all costs. Soonyoung doesn’t blame them. He’s avoided his fair share of surveyists in the past. 

“Then what’s the point?” Minghao asks. He looks too at ease standing next to Soonyoung, who feels like he’s two seconds from melting into the sidewalk. He fans himself with his clipboard and plucks miserably at his shirt. It shouldn’t be this hot this late into the fall. 

“I think our professor is trying to see how long it’ll take for us to revolt,” Soonyoung says. “That’s the real study here. She doesn’t care about the campus’ opinion on anything.” 

Minghao laughs, even though what Soonyoung said wasn’t all that funny. Soonyoung looks at him, feeling proud of himself. His gaze gets caught on the sharp line of Minghao’s jaw, and the bead of sweat that drops from it. So, Minghao does feel the heat after all. 

“What?” Minghao asks, catching Soonyoung looking. 

“Water!” Soonyoung blurts. Minghao blinks in confusion, so Soonyoung scrambles to elaborate. “Do you want water? I’m going to get some.”

“Sure,” Minghao says. “Thanks.” He reaches into his pocket, presumably for his wallet, but Soonyoung hurries away before Minghao can hand him anything. 

He picks a nice, ice cold bottle of water out of the cooler for himself, and then asks the worker behind the counter for a bottle of room temperature water. When he gets back outside, Minghao has taken a seat on the curb, elbows on his drawn up knees with one hand dangling in front of him, the other rubbing the reddened skin on the back of his neck. 

“You’re getting burnt there,” Soonyoung says, passing Minghao his water, who takes it with a grateful smile.

“I thought so,” Minghao sighs. He digs in his bag for a minute before pulling out a small bottle of sunblock. The scent permeates the air as Soonyoung takes a seat next to Minghao. Soonyoung watches him apply the sunblock and blinks in confusion when Minghao holds the bottle out.

“Do you want some?”

Soonyoung takes the offered sunblock gratefully, applying it to his face, neck, and arms. Minghao cracks the seal on his water bottle and takes a sip. He shoots Soonyoung a surprised look as he swallows. 

“It’s not cold,” he says. 

“I thought you preferred room temp,” Soonyoung says, mouth dropping open in horror. “Did I remember wrong?”

“No, no,” Minghao waves Soonyoung’s worries away. “You remembered right. I’m just surprised that you remembered, that’s all.”

Soonyoung shrugs, feeling embarrassed. 

“We’re friends,” Soonyoung mumbles, handing back the sunblock. Minghao turns wide, puppy-dog eyes on Soonyoung. 

“Friends?” 

Soonyoung gapes at him. “Of course we’re friends.”

Minghao looks at him a little longer, and once again Soonyoung is desperate to know what’s going on in his head. He reaches out, and Soonyoung freezes as Minghao’s fingers land on his cheek, wiping gently. 

“You had some sunblock there,” Minghao says as he pulls his hand away. 

“Thanks,” Soonyoung mumbles. He spots movement over Minghao’s shoulder. “Oh — we can totally get this group.”

Soonyoung jumps up and waves at the group, in particular at Hansol leading the way. Hansol starts shaking his head in exasperation as soon as he sees Soonyoung, but keeps coming anyway. Soonyoung turns and holds out a hand to Minghao to help him up. Minghao’s grip is strong, and he’s just as easy to pull up as Soonyoung thought he would be. 

His hand tingles as he drops it back down to his side, and he realizes that was the first time they intentionally touched and not just accidentally brushed against each other in class. 

_You basically held hands!_ a voice croons in his head, and it sounds like a mix of his own inner voice, and Joshua’s. He does his best to ignore it though. He has a survey to finish.

*

Soonyoung puts the finishing touches on the drink in front of him, sticks on the garnish, and takes a step back. He grins, proud of his creation, and even Jeonghan going, “What the _hell_ is that?” doesn’t deflate him. 

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Soonyoung asks. 

“You better get it to him before the colors run together.” Jeonghan crosses his arms and shakes his head. “‘May you be happy,’ indeed.”

Soonyoung picks up the glass carefully and hurries it to the other end of the bar. He puts the glass down, interrupting the conversation Minghao is having with Junhui, but it’s okay, because Seungcheol — who Soonyoung has met multiple times now — is approaching to attach himself to Junhui’s back and rest his chin on his shoulder. 

“What _is_ that?” Junhui asks delightedly. 

“It doesn’t have a name,” Soonyoung says, wiping his hands nervously on his bar towel. Minghao is studying the drink with a furrowed brow. He reaches out for cherry on top of the drink, but stops short when Soonyoung exclaims, “Oh wait! I forgot.”

He reaches underneath the bar and pulls out one of their newest items. He puts the rainbow flag toothpick into the cherry and grins when Minghao’s assessing look turns amused. 

“Nice,” he says, laughter coloring his voice. “I thought you’d forgotten.”

“I didn’t forget. Just procrastinated,” Soonyoung says. “Now, tell me what you think.”

It took Soonyoung a longer time than he’d like to admit to mix all the individual drinks and pour them into the tall glass to make the rainbow, and he’s worried about the taste. The three of them watch Minghao with interest as he takes a tentative first sip, and Soonyoung even feels Jeonghan’s presence at his back as he observes too. 

“How is it?” Soonyoung asks. “It’s mostly food coloring, honestly. I didn’t want to go for too many tastes.”

“It’s good,” Minghao says. He picks up the flag and plucks the cherry from the end with his teeth. “Is this the first time you’ve made it?”

“Yeah,” Soonyoung says. “Jeonghannie-hyung doesn’t like rainbow drinks.”

“It’s tacky,” Jeonghan says. 

“Seokminnie would love it,” Seungcheol says, eyes flashing at Jeonghan. Jeonghan mutters a curse under his breath and pushes off the bar. 

“Everyone is against me,” Jeonghan says, stalking away.

“We’re just trying to help, hyung,” Junhui calls with a grin. He turns to Soonyoung. “Make me one, please.”

“I don’t _need_ any help,” Jeonghan calls back. 

“Please,” Soonyoung scoffs, folding his arms. “I was the messenger that gave Seokmin’s number to Joshua. I pulled half the weight in this relationship. I should be included.”

“Oh?” Junhui asks. “You want to be part of it too?”

Soonyoung looks to Junhui in surprise, and then realizes what he said. Minghao is studying the drink in front of him intently, not looking at Soonyoung at all. 

“I always want to be included,” Soonyoung says. “But I didn’t mean it in that sense.”

 _“Hǎo,”_ Minghao mutters, and then hurriedly takes another, long drink. Junhui bites his lip, but a snicker still falls out of his mouth. 

“What?” Soonyoung demands. “What did he say?”

“Do you have more cherries?” Minghao interrupts to ask. 

Soonyoung gives him a whole cup, even though he knows it’ll turn Minghao’s lips red and even more kissable over the course of the night. 

He doesn’t always make the smartest decisions.

*

“Like this, hyung?” 

Soonyoung watches Chan with a critical eye, and then gets into position. “More like this. One two three four, five _six_ seven _eight.”_

“Ahh,” Chan says, copying the moves perfectly. “Okay, I see.”

“Ready to go again?” Soonyoung asks Chan and Junhui, walking over to restart the music. They both nod and get ready, and when they run through it this time, they all nail every move. Soonyoung starts to overheat partway through and strips off his jacket, throwing it to the side before the finale. Junhui and Chan both crow at the move, and Soonyoung grins at their cheers. Maybe he should add it on purpose. 

Junhui and Chan slump to the floor as soon as they’re done, and despite how well they danced, Soonyoung frowns and heads for his backpack.

It’s good, but it’s still missing something. Soonyoung frowns as he pores over his notebook. If they had just one more dancer… Soonyoung sighs. With the busy schedule of all the dancers in the department, he’s lucky both Chan and Junhui had spare time to help him. 

“Oh, look who it is!” Junhui rolls to his feet and hurries over to the glass door. Minghao is on the other side, watching them practice, but he turns to go when he sees Junhui heading for him. Junhui yanks the door open and bellows down the hallway. “Minghao! _Wang ná lí pao?”_

Soonyoung can’t hear Minghao’s response over the looping music, but he hears Junhui respond again and definitely hears his name in it. Seconds later, Minghao appears in the doorway, looking annoyed. He smiles when he sees Soonyoung though, so that’s something. 

“He’s going to show us his moves,” Junhui says. 

“You dance?” Soonyoung asks at the same time Minghao turns to glare at Junhui and says, “I am?” 

“What kind of music?” Chan asks, also rolling to his feet. Minghao looks around at all of them, but can’t seem to say no to their eagerness. 

“‘Good Luck’ by Basement Jaxx,” Minghao says.

Soonyoung’s eyes widen. That’s not what he was expecting at all. He was expecting something more slow and dreamy — Minghao looks like he could be a ballerina. Minghao sees the look and smirks. 

“Are you just gonna stand in the way, or?” Minghao asks, and the three of them scramble to the side to watch. Chan plays the music, and Minghao gets right into it. 

Soonyoung knows he’s gaping, but it’s hard to believe that _anyone’s_ body can move like that. Minghao seems to anticipate the beat changes and the bass drops and moves through a routine seamlessly. Soonyoung can tell it’s something he’s worked on before. And to top it all off is the _smile_ on Minghao’s face as he dances, like he’s having the time of his life. 

“Oh my god,” Soonyoung says, and Minghao bends almost all the way in half — backwards. “He has a spine, right?” 

Junhui snickers next to him while Chan hollers his approval. When the song dies out and moves to the next one, Minghao lets it play but doesn’t keep dancing. He ends it with a dab, earning a groan from Chan this time, but Soonyoung smiles in delight.

“So?” Minghao says, chest heaving and shaking sweaty hair out of his eyes. 

“Wow,” Soonyoung says. Junhui moves in to give Minghao a fist bump, and Chan says, “Hyung _wow,”_ and crowds into his space. As Soonyoung watches them all together, something dawns on him. 

“Minghao, would you want to try something?”

Minghao looks at him assessingly. “Like what?”

Junhui immediately realizes what Soonyoung is planning. “Oh, yes. Yes! Hao, you would be so good, you have to do it.”

Chan realizes too, and scurries back over to change the track back to the original song. 

“It’s easier to show you,” Soonyoung says, and Minghao nods. The three of them run through the whole routine again, and Soonyoung has done this so many times that he could dance it in his sleep, but it’s different with a pair of eyes boring into his back and tracing his every move. 

“What do you think?” Soonyoung asks when they break again. 

“It’s good,” Minghao says. “Did you choreograph that yourself?” 

“Yeah,” Soonyoung says, pride welling in his chest. “But it could really use another person.”

Minghao smiles. “I was hoping you would ask.”

*

“What about…” Soonyoung fans out his hands and wiggles his fingers. “Slide effects.” 

Minghao doesn’t even glance up from the laptop. 

“No.”

“C’mon,” Soonyoung whines. “Slide effects are cool.”

“They’re lame,” Minghao replies. 

Soonyoung pouts again. He loves slide effects and always uses them. Sure they don’t _have_ to have them in the presentation, but Soonyoung thinks they add a nice touch. Plus, he’s tired and a little more sensitive today — and he’s really not looking forward to work later — so it really feels like Minghao is making fun of him, even though he knows deep down that’s not the case. 

“I’ll be right back,” Soonyoung says.

Minghao barely glances up to watch him go — has been quiet and distant all afternoon, in fact — and that hurts too. He leaves Minghao at the table they’ve claimed and heads downstairs to the circulation desk to bother Wonwoo. When he gets there, he sees somebody else had the same idea. 

“Please, Wonwoo-hyung,” Seungkwan says as he pushes something across the table at Wonwoo. 

“I have to check with the librarian,” Wonwoo says. “I can’t hang just anything up.” 

“But you practically run this place,” Seungkwan says. “They fall apart when you’re not here.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Soonyoung says as he approaches them. “But it’s true Wonwoo-yah. The printers never work unless you’re here.”

Wonwoo closes his eyes with a pained grimace. “Are you having printer trouble?”

“No, no. Just needed a break.” He glances down at the flyer Seungkwan is trying to push at Wonwoo. It’s an informational flyer for the musical. “Those are good! Who made them?”

“I did.” Minghao’s voice comes from behind Soonyoung, and he practically jumps out of his skin. Minghao looks nervous when Soonyoung turns around. He eyes Wonwoo and Seungkwan before asking, “Hyung, can I talk to you?”

They move away from the circulation desk, but stop at the foot of the stairs back to the quiet area.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Soonyoung says at the same time Minghao says, “Hyung, I’m sorry.”

They look at each other, startled for a moment before Soonyoung snorts. 

“I was being a baby about the project,” he says. “And this doesn’t excuse it I’m just...tired and I’m dreading work tonight so I’m a little on edge. I’m sorry.”

“And I wanted to apologize for dismissing you so quickly,” Minghao says. “It’s supposed to come from both of us, and I shouldn’t have ignored your ideas.”

Soonyoung shakes his head. “It’s okay. You’re right. They are lame.”

“They can be good sometimes,” Minghao says. 

“Look at your face,” Soonyoung says. “It really hurt you to say that.” 

Minghao’s slight grimace turns into an actual smile. “We’re done for now anyway. Do you want ice cream?”

“Yes,” Soonyoung says immediately, and then, “But you…don’t like it?”

Minghao smiles. “But you do.”

Soonyoung smiles in return, but it drops off his face when Minghao continues.

“And I’m buying, since I invited you.” He takes off up the stairs to get back to their stuff before Soonyoung can say anything, and Soonyoung is left to scramble after him. Damn Minghao and his unfairly long legs. 

“Wait!” 

He gets a chorus of angry _shhh_ ’s for that, and he ducks his head in apology as he speedwalks to catch up with Minghao. They pack their things quickly while Soonyoung makes a whispered case for why he should be the one paying.

Minghao lets him talk as they make their way outside, but doesn’t give in. He only grabs Soonyoung’s wrist to guide him in the right direction when he gets too distracted by his own points and misses the turn in the sidewalk. Soonyoung falls silent at the contact, losing his train of thought.

“You done?” Minghao asks, a small smirk on his face. 

“Yeah, I — I guess so,” Soonyoung mumbles. He doesn’t remember what he was trying to say. Minghao’s hand around his wrist is warm and soft, as if he painstakingly moisturizes every day. 

Minghao twists his hand to squeeze Soonyoung’s once, and then starts to let go, but Soonyoung holds on tight. Minghao looks at him, different emotions playing out on his face too fast for Soonyoung to track, but eventually he settles on a smile. 

“Is this okay?” Soonyoung asks.

Minghao’s smile grows, and that’s answer enough.

*

Soonyoung slumps on the bar. He’s only here for half a shift until Jihoon can get here, but it’s the longest half shift of his life. Nothing is _happening_ and they probably just shouldn’t even be open if they’re not making drinks. 

“Where _is_ everyone?” Soonyoung asks. 

“They’ll come,” Joshua replies. “It’s still early. They always come later on Thursday nights because it takes them a while to convince themselves to stop studying for the night.”

“So I’ll leave before the fun starts,” Soonyoung says. 

“I’m sure you’ll find your fun,” Joshua says. He nods over Soonyoung’s shoulder. “You have a visitor.”

Soonyoung turns, expecting one of his roommates asking for free drinks — he’d left them getting ready at the apartment earlier — but is surprised to see Minghao coming through the doors. Minghao doesn’t really look like he’s dressed to be at a bar — still impossibly well-dressed and fashionable, but not his usual bar clothes. 

“Hi?” Soonyoung grins at Minghao. It’s only been a few hours since he last saw Minghao, and he wasn’t expecting to see him again for a few days. “What’s up? Do you want a drink?”

“I’m okay for now,” Minghao says, taking a seat at the bar. “I just came to see you.”

Soonyoung feels the blush creep up his neck, heart fluttering somewhere in his throat.

“I wanted to apologize again for earlier,” Minghao says. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, so I was...grumpy earlier. Jun had Seungcheol over and—” Minghao clears his throat and his ears turn pink, and Soonyoung knows exactly why Minghao had trouble sleeping. “Anyway. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

“You feel better now though?” Soonyoung asks. 

“I took a nap,” Minghao mumbles, looking shamefaced. “But Seungcheol is over again, and they’re just watching a movie, but…”

“I understand,” Soonyoung says. He glances at the clock on the wall. “I only have about an hour left in my shift, if you want to hang out at my place after.”

“Really?” Minghao looks surprised at the invitation, but pleased. 

“Yeah!” Soonyoung says. “We can stop for snacks and watch a movie or something.”

“That sounds nice,” Minghao says. “Thank you, hyung.”

“No need to thank me, aish,” Soonyoung mumbles. “Are you sure you don’t want anything while you wait for me to be done?” 

“Surprise me,” Minghao says. 

Soonyoung makes him a June Bug, just to see him scowl, and then the crowd starts to filter in like Joshua said they would. Jihoon shows up not long after, giving Minghao’s back a pointed look as he swaps places with Soonyoung behind the bar.

“Hansollie and the others are on their way here now,” Jihoon says to him, loud enough for Minghao to hear. “You should have the whole apartment to yourself.”

“Wow!” Soonyoung says loudly. “Great!”

He gets Minghao out of there before Joshua or Jihoon can say anything else, and steers them toward a convenience store that he knows sells wine. 

“This isn’t the fanciest selection,” Soonyoung says as they enter the store. “But I’m pretty sure all the nice shops are closed by now.”

“I’m not as picky as you seem to think I am,” Minghao says with a smile. 

“Sure,” Soonyoung agrees, grabbing a basket. “What kind of ramen do you want?” 

“Um,” Minghao looks sheepish. 

“Let me guess,” Soonyoung says. “You don’t really eat ramen?” Minghao shakes his head. “But you’re not picky. Okay.” 

Minghao laughs and pushes him slightly, and Soonyoung delights at the contact. 

“Go find the wine and your healthy snacks, and I’ll pick out the bad stuff,” Soonyoung says. Minghao goes quicker than Soonyoung and returns to the chip aisle to find Soonyong agonizing over two bags. 

“Just get both,” Minghao says, putting his finds in the basket. “Your roommates will eat the extra.”

“This is true.” Soonyoung adds both bags and then heads for the counter. Minghao is suspiciously silent as they approach, not even fighting Soonyoung for the basket, but it makes sense when the clerk looks at the wine and bag of dried squid and says, “He already paid for those. But I’ll take the chips.”

Soonyoung scowls as he hands over the money. “Why are you like this?”

Minghao shrugs, shameless. “I can’t help myself.”

It’s three stops on the bus until they get to Soonyoung’s apartment, and they pass the time by listening to a playlist on Minghao’s phone, sharing his headphones. It’s different from the music Minghao danced to the other day — more in line with what Soonyoung expected of him. It’s not exactly Soonyoung’s taste, but Minghao is sharing it with him, so he’ll listen. 

Jihoon was right — the apartment is empty when Soonyoung gets there. He scowls at the empty bottles and mess they left. He’s not perfectly clean himself, but he usually keeps it contained to his own room. 

“We don’t have wine glasses,” Soonyoung says as Minghao takes their purchases into the kitchen. 

“I’ll find something,” Minghao says. He comes back with mismatched mugs as Soonyoung is clearing up the last of the debris from his roommates. 

“Sorry it’s not much,” Soonyoung says, thinking about how Minghao is as a person and how fancy his apartment probably is, even on a university student budget. 

“It doesn’t have Jun or Seungcheol, so it’s perfect,” Minghao says, folding himself onto the couch with more grace than should be possible with his hands occupied. 

“Oh, I see,” Soonyoung says. 

Minghao gives him a long-suffering look. “And it has _you_ of course. Wow, you’re worse than Jun.”

“Thank you,” Soonyoung says. “I’ll be right back.”

He rushes to his room to change into his most comfortable, but still cute, lounging around clothes. When he gets back to the living room to claim his spot next to Minghao on the couch, Minghao already has the wine poured and Netflix pulled up. 

“Can we watch an anime?” Soonyoung asks, pulling out the puppy dog eyes. Minghao sighs gently, but scrolls to the appropriate category. Soonyoung hides his smile in his hoodie.

*

The wine wraps around Soonyoung like a blanket, and halfway through the movie they’ve already had more than half a bottle each, and way too many snacks. 

“My stomach is going to hurt tomorrow,” Soonyoung says, even as he eats another chip. Minghao shakes his head in amusement, and then swipes his hair back behind his ear when it falls in his face. 

“What’s that?” Soonyoung asks, swaying close and reaching out. There’s something behind Minghao’s ear, something green that almost looks like paint. Minghao reaches up too, fingers overlapping Soonyoung’s as he feels for it. 

“I was painting earlier,” Minghao says. He drops his hand, but doesn’t seem to mind that Soonyoung’s is still there. 

“Of course you paint too,” Soonyoung says. Minghao’s lips twitch, and Soonyoung suddenly realizes how close their faces are. He wants to lean forward and kiss Minghao, the wine making him bold. He’s just about to do it too, when he hears a cacophony of approaching voices. 

Soonyoung pulls away just as someone starts to hit buttons on the keypad. They get it wrong twice before Soonyoung pulls himself off the couch with a groan and opens the door himself. 

“Hyung!” Chan cries as soon as the door opens, flinging himself into Soonyoung’s arms. “You’re here!”

“I live here,” Soonyoung replies. Hansol stumbles in after Chan, Mingyu following and not in much better shape. Soonyoung suddenly feels very sober. “What did you guys _do?”_

“We had _fun,”_ Chan says. Mingyu leans against the doorframe and nods along. Hansol is already in the apartment, making conversation with Minghao and getting snacks. 

“Okay, so water,” Soonyoung says, dragging Chan into the apartment and dumping him on the couch. “And then bed.”

“Wait, hyung,” Chan says, catching Soonyoung’s wrist before he can step away. “I want to cuddle.”

“I have to get Mingyu in here,” Soonyoung replies. The keypad is starting to beep incessantly because the door is still open. 

“I’ll get him,” Minghao says. Soonyoung eyes his lanky body warily, but with Chan’s death-grip on his wrist, he doesn’t see any other option.

“Thanks,” Soonyoung says, and then stumbles when Chan yanks him down to the couch. 

“Were you guys making out?” Chan asks, voice too loud and hot in Soonyoung’s ear.

“No,” Soonyoung says, pushing Chan’s face away. “Thanks to you.”

“Oh _no,”_ Chan says sadly. Soonyoung sighs. 

The next half an hour consists of wrangling his roommates out of the common area and into their respective rooms. Minghao gets into a debate with Mingyu about the amount of water he should drink, Chan insists on going to sleep in Soonyoung’s bed, and Hansol announces he’s going to take a shower and disappears. Soonyoung makes a mental note to check that he hasn’t drowned in a little while. 

“I should go,” Minghao says once he and Soonyoung regroup in the living room. 

“I’m sorry,” Soonyoung says. “They’re just…”

“Roommates,” Minghao says with a shrug. “I get it.”

“You don’t have to leave,” Soonyoung says, stopping Minghao from gathering his jacket. “You can stay here, if you want.”

“Stay?” 

“On the couch,” Soonyoung blurts. Minghao blinks at him. “Chan is in my bed.” Minghao blinks again and Soonyoung despairs at himself. “I’m going to take his bed, but it’s not big enough to share.” 

“The couch is fine,” Minghao says. “But can I borrow something to sleep in?” 

Soonyoung digs around in his dresser, trying to find pants that will be long enough for Minghao’s legs, and a t-shirt, happy that he always buys them big. He sneaks a pillow from the bed, trying not to disturb Chan’s snoring form too much, and brings the whole pile out to Minghao. 

“If you need anything, it’s that door right there,” Soonyoung says. 

“Thanks, hyung,” Minghao says. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Soonyoung says back, just as quiet. 

It takes him a long time to fall asleep, knowing Minghao is just outside. 

*

Soonyoung wakes up to the scent of frying meat. For a second he worries that one of his roommates is drunk cooking, and then realizes there’s sunlight coming in through the curtains. Chan’s stupid, flimsy curtains that are more for decoration than keeping the sun out. 

When he stumbles out to the kitchen, it’s to find his roomates slumped around the kitchen table, all looking worse for wear. He glances from their pitiful formation to Minghao, who is standing at the stove, metal chopsticks in one hand as he flips meat over in the pan. 

“What’s going on?” Soonyoung asks. 

“Shhh,” Chan whispers. “Hyung, you’re too loud.”

Hansol snorts, which Soonyoung roughly translates to, _That’s rich, coming from you._

“I’m making breakfast,” Minghao says.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Soonyoung says, ignoring how all of his roomates’ heads have picked up from their dead slumps at the table to give him significant looks. Soonyoung ignores all of them. 

“It’s a thank you for last night,” Minghao replies. Mingyu makes an aborted noise, and Soonyoung shoots him a warning look. 

“I’ve slept on that couch,” Soonyoung says. “You should be cursing at me right now.”

“It was fine,” Minghao says, smiling at Soonyoung over his shoulder. “I did some stretches when I woke up.”

 _What the fuck,_ Soonyoung thinks miserably. Minghao has to know what he’s doing to Soonyoung.

“Here,” Minghao says, placing a plate of food in front of Soonyoung. It smells so good and Soonyoung wants to cry. 

“Thank you,” he says instead, and when Minghao smiles and walks back to the stove, steals a glance at Minghao’s ankles, peeking out of the cuffs of Soonyoung’s too-short sweatpants. His roommates start to snicker again, but thankfully Minghao doesn’t seem to hear over the sound of the sizzling pan. Soonyoung gives them another glare anyway, just to be safe. 

*

When Soonyoung finally gets to the musical, he ends up going alone. It’s by design, because he doesn’t want to deal with his roommates and their teasing, and Jeonghan and Joshua had already gone on opening night to support Seokmin. 

It’s amazing, just like he expected it to be, and the two hours go by very fast and it’s no time at all before he’s going through the receiving line. He compliments each cast member as he moves along, and when he gets to Seokmin and Seungkwan, standing next to each other at the end of the line, he hands them each a flower. 

“You guys did so well,” Soonyoung says, tears brimming up in his eyes. “Congratulations.” 

“Hyung, stop it,” Seungkwan says, but it’s too late because he’s crying too. Seokmin reaches out and hugs Soonyoung, rocking him from side to side. Soonyoung gets squished between them and ends up with a sticky kiss on each cheek, but he doesn’t mind in the slightest. 

“A third flower?” Seungkwan asks as they separate. “Who’s that for?” 

“Um.” Soonyoung ducks his head. “Someone.”

“You got lucky, hyung,” Seokmin says, gesturing back toward the stage doors. Minghao is there, dressed in all black with his arms crossed in front of him. He’s watching the three of them with an amused look on his face. “He usually stays backstage until after the audience leaves.”

“I might’ve mentioned I saw you in the front row,” Seungkwan mumbles, looking off to the side. Soonyoung pushes him in the arm lightly, but says, “Thank you.” 

Minghao has probably already seen it, but Soonyoung still hides the remaining flower behind his back so he can present it to him dramatically. 

“Congratulations,” Soonyoung says. 

“I’m barely did any tech work on this, but thank you,” Minghao says. He takes the flower and twirls it between his fingers. He raises his eyebrows and nods to Soonyoung’s face. “You got a little…”

Soonyoung frowns before he realizes that Seungkwan and Seokmin were wearing lipstick for their stage makeup, which means— 

“Oh no.” He reaches up and covers his cheeks with his hands. 

Minghao follows his to the bathroom and watches, giggling, as Soonyoung wets paper towels and scrubs it off. They’re still in there, Minghao close to tears at how the waxy lipstick has just spread across Soonyoung’s cheek, when Seokmin finds them again. 

“We’re going for food,” Seokmin says. “Hyung — you coming?” 

Soonyoung’s stomach rumbles at the thought. “Yes, please.” He throws away his paper towel, defeated. 

“Let me,” Minghao says, grabbing a fresh paper towel and wetting it. Soonyoung lets out a startled noise when Minghao takes his chin, fingers strong but still gentle as he pulls Soonyoung’s face closer. He wipes across Soonyoung’s cheek in a few strokes before folding the paper towel over and doing the same to his other cheek. 

“Alright, let’s go,” Minghao says, pitching the paper towel and leaving the bathroom without looking back. Seokmin looks at Soonyoung, who is still standing frozen where Minghao left him. 

“Are you good, hyung?”

“No,” Soonyoung says. Seokmin laughs and grabs Soonyoung’s wrist to pull him along. 

They’re not the only cast and audience members to descend on the closest fast food, but they manage to grab a booth for themselves in the midst of the chaos. They all get burgers and fries and milkshakes, and Soonyoung is so hungry when the food is finally ready that he shoves half the burger in his mouth in one go. He forgets that he has an audience, too intent on the food, and freezes when he sees Seokmin, Seungkwan, and Minghao all staring at him with wide eyes. 

“Wha?” he manages around his mouthful of burger. 

“You eat well,” is all Minghao says, and then turns his attention to his own burger. He’s cutting it up with a knife and fork, which Soonyoung thinks just takes too damn long. But the time Soonyoung has calmed the hungry beast in his stomach and tuned back into the conversation, Seungkwan is deep into a movie reference that Soonyoung doesn’t understand — and he’s not the only one. 

“No, you definitely know the scene I’m talking about,” Seungkwan says, whipping out his phone and typing furiously. He holds it out and angles it as best as he can so the rest of them can see. Soonyoung turns sideways in his seat and scoots closer to the end of the table where Seungkwan has propped the phone. He startles when he feels Minghao press up behind him, slinging an arm over his chest to pull Soonyoung back so he can see too, resting his chin on Soonyoung’s head.

Soonyoung freezes up at the unexpected — but not unwelcome — contact, and Minghao starts to pull away immediately. 

“Oh, sorry,” he mumbles, sounding embarrassed. 

“No, it’s fine,” Soonyoung says, reaching up at catching Minghao’s wrist. He tugs him back into place and Minghao settles back in easily. Soonyoung is glad he’s facing forward so Minghao can’t see the delighted grin breaking out across his face. Seungkwan and Seokmin definitely see it, the former better at keeping a straight face than the latter. 

“Press play already,” Minghao says, his voice rumbling through his chest and into Soonyoung’s back. He’s warm and he smells really good, and this greasy fast food joint may be Soonyoung’s new favorite place in the world. 

*

Soonyoung shoots a nervous glance at the door as it nears the top of the hour. One more minute and the professor will close the door, and she won’t let in any other students after that. She’s done it before. Soonyoung can’t believe Minghao isn’t showing up, and he also can’t believe he trusted Minghao with the flashdrive. You really can’t trust anyone with group projects. 

It makes him want to cry because he’d gotten barely any sleep the night before after taking a shift for Jeonghan, and the only reason he dragged himself to class today was to present to the class, and now his grade is going to tank because Minghao isn’t here. 

Just as the professor is walking toward the door, two people rush in. One is a girl who always sits close to the teacher, and the other is Minghao. Soonyoung lets out a sigh of relief as he sees Minghao and gets ready to berate him for being late — quietly of course — but the girl cuts in front of Minghao and takes the vacant seat next to Soonyoung. Minghao blinks in surprise, but has no choice but to take a seat across the circle from Soonyoung, the only available seat left. Soonyoung frowns, and Minghao frowns back and shrugs. 

The presentations make Soonyoung want to poke his eyes out. He’s so close to falling asleep, and as his jaw cracks on a big yawn, he looks to Minghao. They’re up after the next group, and Soonyoung wants to check that he’s ready. Minghao is already looking at him, frowning as he watches Soonyoung yawn. Soonyoung smiles, trying to seem reassuring, but it doesn’t do anything to make Minghao’s frown go away. 

Midway through the next presentation, Soonyoung looks to Minghao again. Sue him — Minghao looks really good today, as always, and if anything is going to keep Soonyoung awake it’s looking at him. Minghao’s head is down as he draws something in his notebook, and Soonyoung watches his marker move, his curiosity piqued. Almost as if he realizes Soonyoung is watching, Minghao finishes his drawing, picks up the pad, and turns it so Soonyoung can see. 

It’s Leonard again, and Soonyoung snorts out loud at the drawing. The teacher and some of his classmates give him a dirty look, and Soonyoung grimaces apologetically. Minghao looks like he’s trying not to laugh, and Soonyoung shakes his head at him. 

When they’re finally up at the podium, setting up their own presentation, Soonyoung nudges Minghao with and elbow and whispers, “You got me in trouble.”

“You got yourself in trouble,” Minghao replies, as cheeky as ever, and nudges Soonyoung back. Soonyoung feels the soft smile break out on his face, feels his cheeks heat up, and only snaps out of it when the professor clears her throat pointedly. 

Soonyoung opens up the presentation and introduces their topic, but as he hits the key to change the slide, his voice dies in his throat. Instead of just clicking over to the next slide, the slide bounces in from the corner. Soonyoung stares at Minghao in surprise. He’d added slide effects since the last time Soonyoung saw the presentation. 

Minghao sees Soonyoung staring at him and shrugs before picking up where Soonyoung left off. By the time they get to the third slide, Soonyoung wants to laugh. 

Minghao has added an effect to every slide. 

“I can’t believe you did that,” Soonyoung says at the end of the class. They head toward the café they’ve started to frequent together after class, when Soonyoung has time to kill between classes and Minghao has time before he does whatever it is he does in the afternoons. 

“I had to,” Minghao says. “I can’t say no to you.”

Soonyoung stumbles on the sidewalk and stops walking. Minghao pulls up short. “Oh?”

“To your face,” Minghao amends quickly. “I can’t say no to that face, especially when you do that — that _thing.”_

“Oh, this?” Soonyoung pulls out the puppy dog eyes and MInghao groans, pushing Soonyoung away. Soonyoung lets himself be pushed, but grabs onto Minghao’s arm so that he’s tugged back into Minghao’s side. He’s still tired, and Minghao is warm, so it’s a nice place to rest. Minghao frowns down at him. He’s doing that a lot today, and it makes Soonyoung want to reach up and push it away. 

“Hyung, are you okay?”

“Just tired, Minghao-yah,” Soonyoung mumbles around another yawn. “Let’s get some coffee.”

He lets Minghao lead the way, and when he doesn’t try to fight Minghao to pay, he has to field another barrage of worried questions and looks. 

“You almost gave me a heart attack by showing up so late,” Soonyoung says. “Letting you pay for this drink will make up for that.”

When they find a table, Minghao slides into the chair next to Soonyoung instead of across from him. Soonyoung looks at him curiously, knowing Minghao likes to spread out whatever he’s working on. 

“Lean on me for a little while,” MInghao says. “I don’t mind.” 

Soonyoung feels like crying, but he gratefully leans on Minghao’s shoulder and lets Minghao take his weight. His body aches for sleep, but this is as good as it’s going to get until he’s done with his classes for the day. Minghao drapes one arm around Soonyoung and the other rests on the table as he texts. Soonyoung is so mesmerized by the light glinting off Minghao’s watch and studying his knuckles and rings and the lines of his hands that he misses most of what Minghao says next, but tunes in for, “...model for my next project?”

“Who’s the model?” Soonyoung asks.

Minghao sighs. “I just asked _you,_ hyung.”

Soonyoung scoffs. “Why? Is Jun busy?”

“I didn’t ask Jun,” Minghao replies. 

Soonyoung frowns. Minghao has stopped messing with his phone. 

“Did you ask Seungcheol? Or Yanan?” Soonyoung asks. “Or one of your other pretty friends? I know you have a lot of them. I’ve seen you with them.”

“That’s why I’m asking _you.”_

Soonyoung stills, and feels Minghao go just as still. When Soonyoung leans back to look at him, Minghao is frowning hard at the table. 

“Minghao…” Soonyoung trails off, not sure what to say. He doesn’t necessarily _believe_ Minghao, but his heart leaps at the conviction in Minghao’s voice. “Thank you for saying that.”

“It’s the truth,” Minghao says with a shrug. “Hyung, I—” 

He’s interrupted by his phone vibrating on the table with a text from Junhui. Minghao sighs and glares at it. “I should go. The landlord was supposed to come by today and I think I need to be there for it.”

Soonyoung watches as Minghao gathers his stuff and stands, disappointment and nervousness swirling in his gut. It’s not a good combination with the lack of sleep and the coffee. 

“Here, this is for you,” MInghao says, tearing something out of his notebook and handing it to Soonyoung. It’s the Leonard drawing. Soonyoung takes it carefully. 

“It’s really cute,” Soonyoung says. “Thank you.”

“See you later?” Minghao asks, he looks hesitant, like he’s waiting for something, but Soonyoung doesn’t know what. 

“Yeah, see you,” Soonyoung says, smiling and hoping that will be enough to get the weird look off Minghao’s face. It doesn’t work. Minghao’s mouth pulls into another semi-frown and he nods once before walking off. Soonyoung carefully puts the Leonard drawing in the front pocket of his backpack, where it joins the cocktail napkin Minghao gave him the first night they met. He glances up at Minghao’s retreating back. Minghao is cute. He’s always been _so cute._

He looks at the table, and realizes Minghao has left his drink behind. Armed with the perfect reason to chase after him, Soonyoung grabs both of their drinks and takes off. 

Minghao has already made it outside by the time Soonyoung reaches the front of the cafe, so Soonyoung bursts out onto the sidewalk in a rush. 

“Minghao!” Soonyoung calls after him. Minghao’s long legs have already brought him almost around the corner. Minghao turns at Soonyoung’s yell.

“Hyung?” 

Minghao’s look of confusion turns startled as Soonyoung runs at him. Soonyoung barely avoids dumping their drinks over both of them as he skids to a stop in front of Minghao. 

“Hyung, what are you doing?”

“You forgot your drink,” Soonyoung says, holding it out. Minghao takes it and smiles briefly. 

“Thanks,” Minghao says. He takes a long look at Soonyoung. “Is there something else? Why do you look like that?”

“I just have something to ask you, and I didn’t want to wait,” Soonyoung says, grabbing Minghao’s free hand and holding on. Minghao lets their hands hang between them and raises an eyebrow at Soonyoung. 

“Go on then,” he drawls. 

“Do you want to go to dinner with me?” Soonyoung asks, heart leaping in his throat as he does. Then he remembers all the dinners they’ve gone to while working on their project, or the dinners they’ve gone to with their friends. “Just us. And not about the project.” Soonyoung drops his gaze to their shoes — his sneakers bumping Minghao’s boots. “And no friends.”

“No friends,” Minghao repeats. “So like a date?”

Soonyoung lifts his head grins. “Exactly like a date.”

Minghao leans forward and kisses Soonyoung, moving in and pulling back so suddenly that Soonyoung barely has time to process it, just getting the faint taste of lip balm and feeling the tickle of Minghao’s long, dangly earring as it swings forward to brush his cheek. 

“Wha—” Soonyoung gapes at him as Minghao blushes furiously. “Well?!” Soonyoung demands. “Is that a yes?”

“That’s a yes,” Minghao says, and leans in again. 

Soonyoung meets him halfway. 

*

“I really can’t believe you keep drinking these,” Junhui says, looking at the drink Soonyoung puts in front of Minghao. It’s layered with pink, yellow, and blue, and it’s garnished with a cherry and a triangle of pineapple.

“It’s only because hyung makes them,” Minghao says. Soonyoung grins, and the compliment almost makes him miss what Minghao is trying to do. 

“No, no,” Soonyoung says as Minghao tucks money behind the napkin dispenser. Minghao frowns as Soonyoung grabs it and holds it out for Minghao to take back. “Boyfriends drink for free.”

“Maybe _your_ boyfriend,” Jeonghan says, plucking the money from Soonyoung’s hand and saluting Minghao with it.

“Please,” Soonyoung scoffs. “You know Shua-hyung gives Seokmin free drinks and you do nothing to stop it. Plus, I _know_ they’re both drinking for free tonight.”

“Hm,” is all Jeonghan says, and then he’s off to the other end of the bar where Joshua and Seokmin are giggling together. They light up when they see Jeonghan coming, and Soonyoung shakes his head fondly. 

“What about friends of boyfriends?” Junhui says, sliding into the seat next to Minghao. Seungcheol stands behind the two of them, looking happy to be there.

“What about boyfriends of friends of boyfriends?” Seungcheol asks. Soonyoung blinks, trying to follow. 

“What about—” Junhui starts, but stops when Minghao jokes, “Are you my friend?”

“Hao, don’t _say_ that,” Junhui whines. “Why don’t you love me the most?”

“It’s reserved for someone else,” Minghao says, putting his hand on Junhui’s pouting face and pushing him away. Junhui buries his face in Seungcheol’s chest and fake cries, and Seungcheol shakes his head fondly and drops a kiss to the crown of Junhui’s head.

“Who?” Soonyoung demands. “I’ll fight them!”

He pretends to climb on the bar, and grins when Minghao starts giggling. Minghao reaches out and cups Soonyoung’s face in his hands. Soonyoung pushes his lips out in a ridiculous face, just to hear Minghao giggle again. 

“You,” Minghao says. “Only you.” 

“Okay, good,” Soonyoung says, voice coming out muffled because of Minghao’s hands still gently squishing his face. He leans forward and kisses Minghao quickly, then dances away to start mixing drinks. 

_“Ah, ni tài ke ài le!”_ Minghao calls down the bar. Junhui coos and throws napkins at Minghao, and Soonyoung blushes and shakes his head. 

“You’re cuter!” Soonyoung calls back. 

Minghao blushes, and Soonyoung smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> Full disclaimer: I do not know Korean or Mandarin, so if I got anything wrong after searching translations online, please let me know so I can fix it! That goes for anything in the fic. **Edit:** thank you to RegretConflictSecrets who reached out and helped! 
> 
> Here is my [twitter](https://twitter.com/guccitaeg)!


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